The old adage that justice can be set aside for the interest of peace is now holding sway in new societies who have adopted the notion that there can be no peace without justice. Sierra Leone is one those societies treading on the path justice at all cost without due consideration for peace.
Credible sources have intimated this press that ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma is now on the threshold of being indicted, arrested and possibly detained for corruption offences allegedly committed during his presidency between 2007 and 2018. If arrested and detained, the former President would be the first in a genealogy of Presidents to be imprisoned for corruption. But, fears continue what would befall Sierra Leone in a situation where ex-President Koroma is sent to jail.
The situation in South Africa warns President Bio that ex-Presidents are not meant to be tried in their own countries owing to adverse implications on peace and security. It was owing to such consideration that the convicted war lord, former Liberian President, Charles Ghankay Taylor was not tried even in Sierra Leone owing to geographical proximity despite the gravity of the offences which he committed.
However, Sierra Leone’s anti-graft agency, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is determined to change a moral rule as they prepare to rope in the former President for what investigators initially referred to as unexplained wealth. Lost in wonders, Sierra Leoneans have now woken up to a new charge of money laundering, one among serious criminal offences known to Sierra Leone’s legal system. No one knows what prompted the migration from unexplained wealth to money laundering.
The crime refers to illegal acquisition of money and spending it in illegal ways as if its source were genuine. As the file is ready for the court, Many Sierra Leoneans have expressed their views about how the former President’s trial would undermine peace and security in Sierra Leone.
A notable political commentator (name withheld for fear of reprisals) has intimated this press that any attempt to arrest the former President would damage the peace which the people of Sierra Leone have worked for many years.
“You will never try a former President in his own country. Any President who attempts that is heading for chaos in the country,” he said.
The political commentator made reference to South Africa, a country which went into flames overnight when state authorities laid hands on the former President, Jacob Zuma for contempt of court during corruption trials. Zuma was said to have siphoned off several millions of dollars in an arms deal he went into on behalf of the country.
Despite repeated calls not to have the former President in the dock, the South African government says it is the way to go leaving behind great lessons from which other heads of states could learn.
But, Sierra Leone does not appear to have learned lessons from the South African scenario as they press for charges. The encounter between ACC team and traditional men in the northern capital of Makeni is still fresh in the minds of Sierra Leoneans.
It showcased clearly how Sierra Leoneans are ready to put their safety at stake in defence of the former President. A youth in Makeni has told this press that they would not be intimidated by government forces, and their resolve to fight for ex-President Koroma remains intact. “We are ready resists hundred times if government make hundred attempts to arrest President Koroma,” one of Makeni youths told this press. Unwavered loyalty to the former President was displayed when a joint team of police and ACC investigators attempted to arrest the former President.
The team was robustly resisted by traditional secret societies, a move that sent signals that the people are determined for an all-out conflict had the police and ACC team forced their way into the residence of the former President. It is also clear that other communities in Sierra Leone are ready to respond to any call to defend the former President.
The intense situation drove the ACC team out of Makeni and re-strategise to get the former President to answer to allegations of corruption. A local activist, Yusif Bangura also holds similar view that justice for the former President must be set aside if Sierra Leone is to have a peaceful elections next year.
He argues that it is better for authorities to go by the recommendations of the defunct commissions of inquiry which says part of ex-President Koroma’s assets would be seized out of suspicion that they were illegally acquired. Bangura hopes that going in for the ex-President’s assets is a subtle way of enforcing the law without disturbing peace.
He made series of references to ex-ministers whose property had been seized including such deceased ministers as Minkailu Bah and Momoh Konte, the former Minister of Education and the Chairman for the National Telecommunications Commission respectively. The people of Sierra Leone believed that although justice has been handed down, it does not bring much pain to Sierra Leoneans. Observers in the media and the public also hold a poplar argument the proposed indictment of the former President is not based on the interest of justice but strictly out of political consideration. The former President is still a dominant force in the country’s politic.
SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) government is quite aware of the fatal blunders in state governance and that the only remedy is to get rid of him so that SLPP could have a smooth ride for a second term.
Koroma who has served two terms in a row has left behind enduring legacies that have endeared him to the people of Sierra Leone making it difficult for SLPP government to make gains in APC strongholds. Opposition politicians believe that SLPP has messed up very badly in the process of running the country’s affairs as government has been quite incapable of providing the most essential services to Sierra Leoneans.
The country is afflicted with challenges of water, electricity, good roads, bad economy, weak civil and public service. These challenges still hunt the country despite promises made by SLPP government few years ago. As the party rides into the sunset, Sierra Leoneans are quite aware that the government could no longer meet their obligations to the people. They now rest to change government in the ballot box next year when the whistle is blown. It is really a trying time for President Julius Maada Bio, but it is more of a trying time for him as his predecessor continues to capitalise on his weak performance.
In most of his addresses in APC rallies, meetings and conferences, former President Koroma always pays great attention to Bio’s failures in the governance of the state.
In his recent interview, former President Koroma made it clear that the business of state governance is about staying true to promises made during campaigns.
“You make big promises during campaigns and you cannot provide even a glass of water when you come to power,” former President Koroma hinted on President Bio as a failed President.
Bio’s failures in governance have boomeranged and can bounce back at ex-president Koroma if one goes by the saying that the leader is successful only when his successor succeeds. Ex-President Koroma’s recent statement that he had seen nothing new since Bio took over state governance was one SLPP government never took lightly.
To them, the statement is a direct affront to Bio who they rely on for bringing back presidential power to their party. SLPP members, by all indications, are ready to resist any attempt to rule only once while their rival, APC has ruled twice. The former President’s utterances was also not taken with a pinch of salt as he suspects that such statement constitute an open attack on his administration.
Bio recently fought back, during a visit to the northern town of Kambia saying he would soon stop to respect the former President if he does not comport himself as a statesman. The comportment may mean that the former President should take his hands off politics. Koroma’s criticism of the weak SLPP government indicates deep concerns that he has always wanted to see his successor makes impressive inroads.
Such concerns have however been wrongly interpreted to mean the former President has always wanted to depopularise SLPP government to ensure that APC takes back power. Koroma has always been the object of ACC’s invitations and interrogations since he left power in 2018 citing allegations of sky-rocketing corruption during his administration. As it stands, government would not heed to calls to stop harassment against the former President knowing fully well that their political glory is at stake if Koroma continues to see the light of day.